


Dreaming

by FadingThroughNebulae



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Constructive Criticism Welcome, Finding companionship, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, He has no friends though, Kid Fic, Kids just being kids regardless of greater intellect, L stays up at all hours, L's eight and still wise beyond his years, My First Work in This Fandom, No Beta, Not Canon Compliant, One Shot, Platonic Relationships, Self-Indulgent, Short & Sweet, Sleep, Sleepovers, Slight Character Study, Winchester England, no ships intended, possible ooc, wammy's house
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22720711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FadingThroughNebulae/pseuds/FadingThroughNebulae
Summary: L rarely sleeps. The two other children he's come to know in the orphanage keep him company while he's awake.
Kudos: 11





	Dreaming

**Author's Note:**

> Bit of an AU, I guess. Don't know if I'll elaborate on this idea in the future. Also, while this isn't a romantic work, Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, regardless if you've found your significant other or if you're happy just being single!

The bags under L's eyes rarely faded as the days passed. They adhered to his skin like dark watermarks, making his blanched face stick out more from the swarm of children within Wammy's House that flooded the halls whenever mealtime arrived. The large digital clock in the computer room silently flashed 8:01 PM, and L remained still on a knitted rug in the middle of the floor. Watari laid this piece of fabric down in the large white room not long ago, so L could watch him work while playing with a few puzzles. He'd grown quite fond of the boy, more so after the lad proved his superior intellect with the prevention of an incident of third World War chaos.

Yet, even as L sat on the carpet with his knees tucked to his chest and gnawed away at his thumb, he looked down at his toys. Metal wires and wooden blocks twisted around and within themselves, meant to challenge him further, but now at his age, they did little for him. He was able to solve them within seconds, a few clacking noises and metallic _clinks,_ then he was done. It had lost all its stimulus. 

Thumb still upon his lips, his eyes lifted to the large monitors affixed to the wall. What was it like, before this? He came here not entirely sure who he was, nor why he was here now. Just that Watari saw him as an asset; L determined that much. A slight glance out of his peripheral vision was the only movement he made when he heard footsteps approaching behind him.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready to retire, sir?" Warati's soft voice echoed in the empty room. 

"I don't see how that's possible when my mind has refused to quiet down," L said, words muffled by his hand.

"Right you are, sir. Shall I get you anything?"

L blinked, his eyes taking in the blue light from the massive computer screens. He longed for the day when he could sit in the chair at that desk, picking through code and digital evidence pertaining to larger cases. He suspected that opportunity was now closer than he originally anticipated. 

"I would like a slice of sticky toffee pudding, which I saw in the kitchen this afternoon on the cake stand, so don't tell me it's not there. I would also like some trifle, which should be in the fridge from what I remember." He rolled his head to the side, still reminiscing on what it'd be like to use that goliath of a machine to unravel databases with a single stroke of the keyboard.

Watari closed his eyes as he gave a slight nod. "Of course." He started to leave when L stopped him.

"I also want some tea with five spoonfuls worth of sugar, if you please." L's eyes focused more on the individual pixels within the stagnant white screen far across the way from him. Warati left without another word.

After five minutes had passed, L rose to his feet, kicking the useless brain teaser trinkets aside as he neared the computer, gears turning as memories reeled from past case to case. He never lost, and there was indeed some satisfaction in that, but at the same time, it was starting to become as boring as his childish toys. Each case felt more mundane the older he grew, criminals becoming so easy to pick apart through analysis, their character and motives later reassembled to be condemned through justice. Just like a simple weaving of "complex" wooden blocks, or snakes of iron that put up little resistance. 

L almost reached the keyboard when he heard a small cough behind him. He turned to see a little girl with blonde hair, dressed in pink pajamas and clutching several pillows in her arms with a large but thin blanket twice her size draped over her shoulder. Misa Amane. L never considered her to be an equal in terms of intellectual prowess, but she seemed rather ducky in her sometimes blissful ignorance. Next to her stood the boy she always clung to whenever L saw her, and he also held pillows in his arms, wearing a black t-shirt and gray cotton pants as his sleepwear. Light Yagami. His facial expression showed a mix between indifference and repulsion in comparison to Misa's bubbly smile, with his eyebrows slightly pinched and jaw tight.

"Miss Amane?" L stared at her.

She let out a little laugh and approached him. Light followed close behind, his bangs falling into his eyes, glowering. L recalled the argument Light initiated that afternoon, boasting how he knew from day one who the killer was in the case Watari assigned to L a week before. It took two days for L to close it, but Light insisted he could have done it in six hours. When L did not attempt to defend himself, Light continued to brag, and it was only after Light got up to leave that L mumbled something among the lines of "It's good to see that you are applying yourself, even if you're not among the recommendations for a case." This prompted Light to pivot and slam a fist full of Shepard's pie into L's face. Warati and several other staff members then intervened, pulling Light off of L, after the latter had just sent the former flying with a roundhouse kick.

"I thought I heard someone talking," Misa said, the ponytails on the sides of her head swishing as she moved from side to side.

L acknowledged her, then Light, who adjusted the throw pillows in his arms and avoided L's gaze. 

"I guess you're not going to bed again tonight, huh?" she said.

When L didn't answer, she babbled on. "I thought so, so we came up here to find you." She suddenly moved back over to the rug and dumped all the pillows at her feet.

Light locked eyes with him before joining Misa's side just as she pushed all of L's stuff off the carpet and onto the hard flooring. 

L hesitated, then approached them. "Why-?"

Misa beamed up at him. "Why not?" A clattering noise filled the room as she shoved more toys away. "I guess it's kind of sad being by yourself why everyone else is sleeping. Besides, Light wanted to tell you something."

"That's not true, Misa. Whatever you're saying-"

"Oh, phoo. You can't be mad at him all the time, you know." She met L's face again. "Light feels really bad for fighting with you today. So he came up here with me to say sorry."

L blinked, and Light sighed, putting a hand to his face. "You really are naive, Misa."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I'm sure you have an idea." 

"No, I don't. Tell me."

Light started laughing, pure glee on his face as his voice carried. Misa grabbed a pillow and socked him in the side with it.

"You know I hate it when you use big words. You're not smarter than me, you know. You- you- cheese head!" Tears rimmed her eyes, and she tried to hit him again, but he snatched it out of her grasp, his face pained now from laughing so hard.

He dropped his smile. "Let's just get this over with so I can go to bed. I actually _need_ to sleep."

"Hmph," Misa glared at him then began to stack up the pillows.

L hovered nearby, his head tilting to the side. "What is it that you're doing?"

"What's it look like?" she snapped, still angry at Light.

He crouched down next to her, watching for a good while as she struggled to keep the pillows upright. Light didn't bother to help, his attention drawn to the tiny puzzles scattered about the floor instead. He held one in his hand, the cool metal pressing into his fingertips as he started working to unhook the links. When the pillows collapsed in on themselves yet again, Misa let out a frustrated cry. She grouched with her arms crossed, and sat with her legs folded, right after kicking one of the pillows across the room. L paused, then reached for the smallest cushion in the pile, running his hands over the frayed fabric. He suddenly stood back up and headed over to the computer.

Misa followed him with her gaze, slouching over further. As L suddenly grabbed the two chairs at the desk and wheeled them over to the rug, she straightened with a grin growing on her face.

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"Why do you think, Misa?" Light spoke up in a biting tone, still fiddling with the brain puzzle.

She shot him a look, but he paid her no attention. Misa turned back to L as he slung the blanket she brought over both chairs, creating a rather sloppy-looking tent. Still beaming, she stacked some of the pillows around the chairs and rested the others flatly on the rug. L got up again, wondering not only why he assisted her, but also why he seemed to be enjoying himself. _Is this what it's like to not over-analyze things? To turn everything off for a few moments and take it all in?_ He registered Misa yelling at Light now for not helping, waving her hands at him while L remained lost in thought.

Watari suddenly entered the room with a silver tray full of sweets, snapping L out of his reflections.

"Miss Amane? Mister Yagami. You both are wide awake as well?" he said, moving to a table on the right and placing the tray down. "Had I known, I would have brought something-"

"Thank you, Watari. We don't need anything else," L said.

Warati responded with a slight bow of his head. "Try to get some rest, sir." With that, he departed.

L removed the two desserts from the tray, and Misa started protesting the unfairness of Watari offering only him desserts. Light raised his head a bit, observing as L headed towards them. Misa stopped short, completely stunned as L handed her the plate of sticky toffee pudding. She accepted it, mouth still agape, and L reached down to Light, handing him the trifle. Light accepted the token without a word, his expression reading a silent thank you laced with something else, something that seemed to say "We're still not even."

As Misa and Light devoured their sweets, L went back to the tray for his tea. Warmth seeped into his hands through the cup as he carried it back to the pillow fort, squatting on one of the larger cushions. When Misa finished her dessert first, she sat under the fort with L, watching him while he slowly sipped his tea.

After a steady beat of silence, he lowered his cup back into the saucer with a soft _clink_. "What is it?"

"Thanks, is all," Misa said, gazing at her hands folded in her lap.

"Hmm?"

She paused. "Don't you ever get tired?" She looked back up at him.

L returned the stare, blank though it was. "Not entirely." He took another sip, the sweetness of all the sugar overpowering the bitter taste of Earl Grey. "Even if I did, there are a plethora of facts to study, so many answers still left to be uncovered." He met her face. "Regardless if I lack sleep or not, I aim not to rest until the last shred of evidence is applied to every unsolved case." He finished the rest of his tea.

Misa released a small laugh. "You're weird, L."

His mouth twitched, and he rubbed the back of his neck. His muscles actually did feel a little sore, and even with all that sugar, his mind felt like it was powering down in a hazy fog. How long was it actually since he last closed his eyes? Two and a half days? Perhaps he was odd. L's head jerked when Light suddenly staggered to the entrance of the makeshift hut of cloth, carrying a large, white bedspread stuffed with feathers.

"Where'd you get that?" Misa said.

"From my room," he said with an annoyed tone as he lied down.

"You took that off your mattress? Can you do that?"

"I did it, didn't I?"

L proposed a different question. "Why come back here if you could sleep in your actual bed?"

"I'm not leaving Misa here alone with you, so you guys can go over case information. It was a nice try though."

Misa put a hand to her mouth, giggling while L retained his usual silence. Within minutes, Light dropped off, curled up in the comforter. L fixed his gaze back on the digital wall clock, his knees tucked to his chest as his thumb ran over his mouth. 9:01 PM.

"Aren't you tired?" Misa's voice invaded his thoughts. He broke out of his concentration, drawing his hand away from his face.

"Maybe," he said. As the words slipped out, he felt the small weight of fatigue fall on his shoulders. 

Misa let out a yawn. "Me too." She rested her head on the nearest throw pillow, tucking her hands to her chin. L held still, absorbing the calm around him. He noticed a faint hum emanating from the computer and became lost in the white screen again. 

"Thanks for the cake," Misa whispered as she fell asleep, and L smiled. However faint, it was an actual genuine smile.

Cake, he mused. _I suppose sticky toffee pudding is indeed cake. How easy it is to overlook the simple things._ He glanced back between Misa and Light snoozing, and a certain realization overcame him. _Maybe this..._ His eyelids felt heavy now. He moved over to the side of the fort, curling up on a cushion half his size. 

_Thanks for the cake._

_Aren't you tired?_

_You really are naive, Misa._

_I actually need to sleep._

L's breathing slowed and his eyes fluttered closed just as that glimmer of understanding returned. _Rationality aside, m_ _aybe this is what bliss feels like. What companionship feels like._ His body sank further into the pillow. _Maybe this is what everyone experiences when their lives don't revolve around certain truths, and they can focus on other things. When science and law truly refuse to dictate their entire spirits._ He exhaled. _Is this..._

He found himself smiling. _This must be..._ His mind unraveled, and with a deep breath, he slipped off into a realm where reality losses its significance, suspended in time with murky visions that can only be constructed by the world's most powerful instrument. 

**Author's Note:**

> Final Words: My goal was to maintain the idea of where everyone is still wicked smart even at a very young age (though Misa's still a bit silly as is her character). Hopefully it's an accurate portrayal. {Additionally, while I didn't expand on it greatly, it's my idea that Light also possesses an understanding of justice as a child, but it's to a slightly lesser degree than what it is when he's pursuing the role of Kira. I may address this concept more in a future story.} Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short fic; it's my first to the fandom. Let me know what you think. Thank you for reading.


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